Sometimes I need #1

Water Windows, originally uploaded by Auberon.

The first in what may be a long series of personal statements that explore how a picture makes me feel, what I see when I really look at the shot, what I was thinking about during the shot, and maybe even an extension of what I may have imagined in terms of my own artistic version...and finally, maybe the shot takes me into the world of the imaginary. Here, or on a different "blog" is where I plan to share all of the above. Read on if you find this interesting. Change the channel if you think this is idiotic.

And so I begin:

UrbEx can often be a dirty event, and you usually need to dress down for the occasion. Sunday's best should most likely stay in the closet.
Happening upon a larger room laid out east to west, with windows facing south, I entered a room just as dusk began. Fortunately for myself and the angels I travelled with that day, the dark overcast sky broke this very same moment, giving us near perfect photographic conditions. While some chose to develop new relationships, or battle with dissipating power sources, I felt like a kid in a candy store. I came upon a rusted out cyclone fence that had been bent and smashed to the ground, completely enveloped in the warm basking beams of light coming from outside. The lighting was almost pefect. I really wanted to feel something from that fence...a sense of protection long lost, perhaps a barrier torn down long ago, with nothing but the warmth of this new light at just the right time....but I just couldn't get the right angle...either that or I was looking for something that really wasn't there to begin with. While down on one knee I glanced over and saw an indoor waterfall of sorts. As I walked towards this waterfall I had full intention of capturing how the Tyndall Effect passing through the continuous flow from the roof above resulted in a perpetual explosion ranging across the entire spectrum. To put it in simpler terms, if you stood there and watched carefully, you could see "sun dog"-esque circular rainbows each time a drop would hit the ground. I suspect most people would have skipped right past this opportunity without a moment's notice. Fortunately for me, the angle and location from which one could best observe this spectral display also happened to be a center of convergence for much of the runoff water spilling into the room. Glancing down I noticed almost immediately how pure the water looked yet seemed to be ignoring the normal physical properties of water. Water is very cohesive, and tends to attract to itself more than other elements/mixtures/compounds/etc...On this particular day the cohesive properties of the water gave way to the adhesive attraction of the dirt on the floor, accounting for the strange shapes and irregular flow. If you look closely, you can see circular "holes" in the water where the ground is still completely visible. Surface Tension at it's greatest.

What looks to one person like water on the floor looks like black gold to another. I was caught up watching the flow of the water.
During a discussion with the artist formerly known as S.E.G., I saw what appeared to be an OLD WORLD relief map of the Mediterranean Sea and surrounding countries. You can't help but laugh when you are in the middle of an abandoned building in Detroit, yet something as simple as water on the floor makes you pine for a Tuscan trip. Like my grandfather would have said... "Pipe Dreams"...

What do I see in this particular photograph? I see attraction between the familiar, yet an equally powerful attraction of the opposite. I see reflections on the surface...indicative of passing nostalgia, yet the reflection is that of series of window panes. Windows represent opportunities. How does one reflect upon the events yet to come? Do you think of the past, learning from your mistakes and avoid them as you venture forward? Are the windows showing opportunities to come or opportunities lost? Opportunities lost in the past, or future opportunities lost because of past decisions?

In this photograph, if I look at those areas without water, do I view those areas lost memories, or missing pieces yet to be filled in?

In the end, I realized I was looking at water on the floor.
I never did get back to the shot I was actually after.

I never said what I would write would have meaning to anyone other than myself. If you've read this far, congratulations, you've just wasted two minutes of your life. See the receptionist at the front desk, she might have a lollipop for just compensation. I hope you have enjoyed the ride today.